EgyptAir seeks to shift blame for Drew Barrymore interview

FILE - In this Nov. 13, 2017 file photo, Drew Barrymore attends the 2017 Glamour Women of the Year Awards at Kings Theatre in New York. EgyptAir is trying to shift the blame to a local advertising agency for a bizarre article in its in-flight magazine purportedly based on an interview with actress Drew Barrymore. In a statement late Monday, Oct. 8, 2018 the airline said it has an agreement with Al-Ahram advertising agency, which edits articles and interviews for its in-flight magazine, Horus. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

CAIRO — EgyptAir is trying to shift the blame to a local advertising agency for a bizarre article in its in-flight magazine purportedly based on an interview with actress Drew Barrymore.

The airline, in a statement late Monday, said it has an agreement with Al-Ahram advertising agency, which edits articles and interviews for the Egyptian carrier's in-flight magazine, Horus.

According to EgyptAir, the agency is "totally responsible" for the magazine's editorial content.

The article, riddled with misspellings and grammatical errors, led with a description of Barrymore as "being unstable in her relationships" and quoted her as saying that motherhood was "the most important role in my life."

A separate statement by the advertising agency said the introductory paragraphs of the purported interview were not written by the interviewer, Aida Tekla.

"It is a product of the editor's creativity," the agency said, adding that it would investigate whether the lead of the interview reflected what the actress actually said.

"We apologize for any misunderstanding that might be interpreted as an offence to the great artist (Barrymore)," the statement said.

EgyptAir last week said it stands by the article, published in Horus' October edition.

U.S. press reports have quoted Barrymore's representatives as denying any such interview took place, with some suggesting the author must have based her article on misinterpretations of a press conference.

Barrymore has yet to issue an official statement on the interview, but the Al-Ahram agency said a representative of the actress contacted Tekla about the interview to say that the American actress never spoke to Horus.

The representative did not know that Tekla, a senior member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, contributed to Horus, said the agency.

The article says Barrymore had failed relationships because her parents divorced.

"It is known that Barrymore had almost 17 relationships, engagements and marriages; psychologists believe that her behavior is only natural since she lacked the male role model in her life after her parents' divorce," Tekla wrote.

In another passage, she quoted Barrymore as being pleased with recent weight loss after having a second daughter. Another quote describes Barrymore as celebrating women's achievements in "the West" because they handle tasks men cannot.

"Women exert tremendous efforts that men are incapable of exerting due to their numerous commitments and obligations," the article quoted Barrymore as saying.

EgyptAir's inflight magazine has Arabic and English sections, but translations are often poor and English-language articles are filled with errors.